Page 64 of Endless Love

I nod, turning it all over in my head. The past days of fast food, twenty-four-hour grocery stores, and shitty motels made me forget that Ivan is insanely wealthy. I don’t knowhowwealthy, but someone who owns an Aston Martinplusthe other cars he has must have plenty. And the way he talks about money makes me think that we could stay in Vegas for a long time, and not need to worry about it.

My heart is racing as the city looms ahead of us, a glittering mirage at the edge of the desert. Even in the bright daylight, it’s overwhelming, almost shocking, after days of long, open roads and small backwoods towns. It feels like being thrust abruptly back into civilization, and it’s strange.

“Look at that,” Ivan says with a grin. “Sin City in all its glory.”

The noise is a shock, too, as we merge onto the crowded freeway, cars speeding past us. The road ahead is suddenly filled with sleek sports cars and luxury sedans, and I bite my lip as I look out of the window, a part of me wishing that we had more time to explore.

“We won’t be able to do much, will we?” I ask wistfully, and Ivan frowns.

“We’ll see. Depending on how long it takes for us to actually meet with my contact, we might have a day or two in the city. And as far as what we can do—” Ivan drums his fingers against the steering wheel. “It’s a big place. Loud and bright and full of people. It’s a place to hide, but it’s also a place where we could be surprised. So we’ll just have to play it by ear.”

Even in the bright daylight, the Las Vegas Strip is a carnival of light and sound. I’m no stranger to skyscrapers and cityscapes—I’ve lived a good part of my life in downtown Chicago—but everything about this place is so muchmore. Everything here seems meant to stand out—a recreation of the Eiffel Tower, apyramid, a huge fountain, a rollercoaster twisting around one of the resorts. Much like the desert surrounding it, Vegas is something I’ve seen in movies before, but nothing can quite compare to seeing it in reality.

“I really want to explore.” I bite my lip, looking around and trying to drink in as much as I can, as Ivan turns off the main road. “Surely, if we’re careful?—”

“We’ll see,” Ivan repeats, firmly. “We haven’t come all this way to put ourselves in unnecessary danger now, Charlotte. This is the final step before we’re free. But—” He pauses, and I can tell that he wants to say yes. That he wants to make me happy. “I’ll do my best to make it possible.”

I nod, shoving down the disappointment I feel at the possibility that I might have to just stay holed up in our room. I know I’m being a little childish—the room is no doubt going to be nicer than anything I’ve ever stayed in before. Probably nicer than my apartment. But I desperately want to explore every glittering attraction and colorful casino that Vegas has to offer, and I can’t help but feel a pang of frustration that I might end up with it just within arm’s length, but unable to explore.

A new experience is right here, and I want to enjoy it. But Ivan is right. We haven’t spent all of this time covering our tracks and committing crimes just to get pinched in Vegas at the last moment.

We pass by several of the resorts, including a half-moon-shaped one withWynnwritten at the top in curving script, and I frown. “Isn’t that where we’re going?”

“It is. But I can hardly hand a stolen, hotwired car over to the valet.” Ivan looks over at me, smirking. “We’re going to drop this somewhere less populated, over in the older part of Vegas. And then we’ll get a taxi back here.”

“Oh.”That makes sense.I feel a little stupid for not thinking of that, but Ivan doesn’t say anything more about it. He justkeeps driving, as the scenery gets less polished and glittering and more weathered. We drive past a casino called theGolden Nugget, past some less glamorous shops, as Ivan turns into a neighborhood that looks much more ordinary than anything we’ve driven past so far since getting to Vegas.

“We’ll leave it here,” Ivan says, getting out of the car to unhook the battery. “I’ll wipe it down, and then we’ll catch a cab back to the Strip. Grab anything you want.”

I make a face at the plastic Walmart bags still holding our single change of clothes, the leftover pain medication, and the one burner phone that Ivan hasn’t used yet. He follows my gaze, and grins at me.

“We’ll go shopping,” he says, and even though I never thought of myself as a clotheshorse like Zoe, the thought ofnew, stylish clothes makes my heart jump in my chest. “I have plenty of cash, and we can at least do that. You’ll have clothes that you actually like to wear.”

“That sounds amazing,” I tell him honestly, and his grin instantly spreads into a smile that looks as if making me happy has made his entire day. It makes me pause, because it startles me that my happiness could have that much of an effect on him. “Let’s go.”

It doesn’t take Ivan long to quickly clean the interior, erasing all traces of our presence. I grab the bags, glancing back at the car once more before we walk away quickly, Ivan keeping an eye out for anyone who might have seen us with the Bronco.

I don’t like to think about what he might do if someonedidsee us, so I force that thought from my mind before it can entirely take shape. That’s the last thing I want to think about.

The day is warm, pleasantly so after the chill of the last several. The air is much dryer than what I’m accustomed to, and I swear I canfeelthe static, feel my hair frizzing as I follow Ivan back to the main road, where we can hail a cab.

“Stay close,” he says, raising a hand as a yellow taxi comes around the corner.

I can’t help but look around, anxiety churning in my gut, half-expecting Bradley or Lev to pop out of a corner at any moment. But they don’t, and a second later, we’re safely ensconced in the taxi, with Ivan giving the driver directions to take us to the Wynn.

I know I should play it cool, but I can’t stop looking at the scenery. Even here, in what Ivan called the ‘older’ part of Vegas, it’s eye-catching in a different kind of way. There’s an old, retro sort of vibe to this part of town, with buskers and street performers hanging out under neon signs that haven’t been lit up yet, the casinos and restaurants weathered in a way that still somehow feels exotic.

And then, when we make it back to the Strip, I suck in a breath as I take it all in again.

The cab driver glances in his rear-view mirror, clearly amused. He catches my eye, and I force myself not to wince. The last thing we need to do is draw attention to ourselves, and here I am, already doing that.

“First time in Vegas?” he asks, and I start to answer automatically, but Ivan cuts in.

“The first for her,” he says with a companionable grin. “It’s our anniversary. I wanted to surprise her with it.”

The lie is so smooth that I would almost believe it, if I didn’t know better. I force a smile to my lips, playing along. “It wassucha surprise, too. I’m so happy.”

I suppose the first part isn’t entirely a lie. Iwassurprised to wake up in that first hotel room, and find out that I was going to Vegas with Ivan.

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